Soi Nana (, ) is an alley linking Maitrichit Road and

Rama IV Road Rama IV Road (, ; usually shortened to , ) is a main road in Bangkok, Thailand. It starts at Mo Mi Junction in the area of Chinatown, Bangkok, Bangkok's Chinatown in Samphanthawong District, Samphanthawong and Pom Prap Sattru Phai Districts and ...

in the area of

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. It takes only 4 minutes to walk from

Yaowarat Yaowarat Road (, , ; ) in Samphanthawong District is the main artery of Bangkok's Chinatown. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. It has been the main centre for trading by the Chinese community si ...

Road. Nana is nestled between the old culture of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and the invading modernism. It is famous for being a hipster bar street in

where modern culture meets with the traditional

Thai-Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais) are persons of Chinese descent in Thailand. Thai Chinese are the largest mixed group in the country and the largest overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approx ...

culture of the Bangkok.

History and development

This little alley has always changed since the Era of "Gangsters in the City" (in the 1950s). In the 1950s and 1960s, Soi Nana used to be a horde of gangsters as almost every street of Bangkok had “owners”. The community in this era is dark and scary form the power of the gangs. When the time passed, all of those gangsters fell, and Soi Nana gradually changed into a large Chinese drugstore area according to immigrating Chinese who lived in the area. Until now, the smell of herbal remedies is still embedded in the community. In the 2010s, from being isolated in the alley, it has started to come to life since there have been a lot of popping

cafes A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile ...

and

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

s from the new generation. Nana is hit by the new wave which consists of joy and lively life of the new generations who come to this area to create a society of their era. There are many cafes, bars, restaurants and galleries in the streets. "From gangsters to Chinese drug stores until now, Soi Nana is settle to be a place to support all kinds of people and allow them to rotate and create new meaning for this small alley" (Wonngwisethpiboon, 2017, para. 12)

Reasons for popularity

Soi Nana is a good alternative

nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

spot to escape from the familiarity of Bangkok like Sathorn, Sukhumvit, or Silom area. "The unassuming and utterly charming Soi Nana in

has gained momentum as a destination for intrepid drinkers and art lovers" (Doman, 2018, para. 1). The theme and style of bars and restaurants in this street is mainly about cultural content of the community, for example modern Chinese bars and restaurants that serve modern Thai-Chinese food and cocktails, There are modern traditional Thai bars that serve some Thais drinks and play traditional Thai music or modern Thai teen movies. Even Though it is located in

(

), this area is offering new experiences to customers in the same level as 5 star bars and restaurants.

Reference list

# Doman, G.B. (2018, March 22). 7 reasons to visit Soi Nana, Yaowarat. Retrieved from http://www.lifestyleasia.com/447978/7-reasons-to-visit-soi-nana-yaowarat/ # Rodsom, S.P. (2016, April 25). Things to do in Soi Nana Chinatown. Retrieved from http://www.timeout.com/bangkok/things-to-do/things-to-do-in-soi-nana-chinatown/ # Wonngwisethpiboon, P. (2017, December 29). Soi Nana (Yaowarat) variety combination of art and bars. Retrieved from https://www.gmlive.com/247-Hangout-Cover-SoiNana/

References

{{Reflist Streets in Bangkok Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Pom Prap Sattru Phai district